Preview — Semiosis
by Sue Burke

Semiosis

In this character driven novel of first contact by debut author Sue Burke, human survival hinges on an bizarre alliance.

Only mutual communication can forge an alliance with the planet's sentient species and prove that mammals are more than tools.

Forced to land on a planet they aren't prepared for, human colonists rely on their limited resources to survive. The planet proviIn this character driven novel of first contact by debut author Sue Burke, human survival hinges on an bizarre alliance.

Only mutual communication can forge an alliance with the planet's sentient species and prove that mammals are more than tools.

Forced to land on a planet they aren't prepared for, human colonists rely on their limited resources to survive. The planet provides a lush but inexplicable landscape--trees offer edible, addictive fruit one day and poison the next, while the ruins of an alien race are found entwined in the roots of a strange plant. Conflicts between generations arise as they struggle to understand one another and grapple with an unknowable alien intellect....more

KaylaThe first thing I mentioned in my review was that I'm glad I read Hidden Life of Trees prior to reading Semiosis. Glad I'm not the only one that…moreThe first thing I mentioned in my review was that I'm glad I read Hidden Life of Trees prior to reading Semiosis. Glad I'm not the only one that thought of it!(less)

The name of this Planet and Commonwealth shall be Pax as a reminder to ourselves for all time of our aspirations.— from the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pax

Earth — a fruitful planet once dear to my ancestors. Rummaging through the history of our own civilisation, Earth was indeed a magnificent place to live in until the day animals and plantations began to die. The ecological disaster was irreparable. A privately-funded project was then initiated to send a colonYear 108 - Generation 7

The name of this Planet and Commonwealth shall be Pax as a reminder to ourselves for all time of our aspirations.— from the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pax

Earth — a fruitful planet once dear to my ancestors. Rummaging through the history of our own civilisation, Earth was indeed a magnificent place to live in until the day animals and plantations began to die. The ecological disaster was irreparable. A privately-funded project was then initiated to send a colony to a distant planet. Fifty volunteers left Earth and have settled into this unknown planet we, Pacifists, now call Pax or scientifically — star HIP 30815f.

"What human beings and other sentient species bring to the universe is the ability to make choices, to step beyond the struggle to survive and be the eyes and ears and minds and hearts of the universe. Survival is just the first step."

The Parents, our Earth forebears, arrived more than 100 years ago in this peculiar planet. Pax almost has the same chemical composition as Earth, but with numerous oddities and entities. A day on Pax is equivalent to 20 Earth hours and a year on Pax is about 490 Earth days. Yes, quite long and the sun shines too, but what you might call the brightest star on Earth, we call it Lux. Pax was a billion years older than Earth and the sentient beings here have had more time to evolve. Snow vines can both be an enemy and an ally. It produces edible fruits at one and then turns that fruit into poison the next. Pink slugs hiss and hum and dissolves flesh at mere contact. Bats fly and sing; ground eagles drum and eat off carcasses. As with the quite friendly ones, fippokats and fippolions are my furry companions when I'm not recording everything into history. Our ancestors promised they would build a new society, a better version of Earth itself devoid of trivialities like money, war, and religion. All they ever aimed for was to "respect the dignity of all life, practice justice and compassion, and seek joy and beauty." Through this dream comes a society that understands mutualism and dualism — we were able to live in full harmony with nature and achieve peace, but not without substantial losses. It is what it is and nothing we can do about it now.

"Pax — that’s an ancient Earth word for peace. Our ancestors came here to create peace. We know the price of war. All of us do, humans and bamboo. Destruction isn’t the half of it. We would lose what we are. We are Pacifists. It’s time to live up to our name and make peace real."

We didn't have the same technological advancements as Earth does, but we survive a day at a time. There's still a lot to learn and sometimes it makes me wonder "about what there was to know, how to learn it, and who to learn it from" as we didn't have the chance to acquire books or tomes from Earth yet we all yearn for that day when we'll be able to circumnavigate the cosmos. Nevertheless, I enjoy being a chronicler of Pax. As with the Parents and all those previous generations before me, they all made mistakes, we all do — sometimes big, sometimes small and some made no difference at all.

"You have to think about what you do. You can hurt your friends and not mean to. We all have to help each other. If we hurt each other, we hurt ourselves, too.”

Yes, we learn or we do not, there is no try. There are still some deplorable Pax citizens who exist — those who still desire power and status and some have an ego as enormous as a mountain. As much as we wanted to extirpate weeds, we can't do such uncivilised thing as we'll be violating the constitution. All we can do is to be the best version of ourselves and reach out whenever somebody needs help, thereby, achieving symbiosis.

"Each of us needs to be what we are, perhaps even be more of what we are. If we are true to ourselves, we will help our best natures flourish."

Talking, writing, and listening to our sentient friend, Stevland, makes life a lot easier. In fact, I'm having a conversation with him right now — reading his stem and responding with Glassmade while doing my daily records. As for the Glassmakers, they're still quite queer especially with that caste of theirs. However, without them and Stevland, we wouldn't have survived.

Water and sunshine, warmth and food,JV Pax Chronicler, Generation 7 — written Day 381, Pax Year 108

Why, despite uncanny, superhuman (and quite heroic) efforts on my part to finish this book, I ended up DNFing the fish out of it and making a quick, life-preserving escape with the help of Edward my ferocious, ballistic missile-like pet snail.

The Let’s Bail Snail™, never leave home without it! Now available at the ridiculously low price of $1,256,559! Please contact Fleet Admiral DaShrimp, our homicidal sales manager, for details.

Survivalist/apocalyptic type stories me like not ve

💀 DNF at 42% 💀

Why, despite uncanny, superhuman (and quite heroic) efforts on my part to finish this book, I ended up DNFing the fish out of it and making a quick, life-preserving escape with the help of Edward my ferocious, ballistic missile-like pet snail.

The Let’s Bail Snail™, never leave home without it! Now available at the ridiculously low price of $1,256,559! Please contact Fleet Admiral DaShrimp, our homicidal sales manager, for details.

① Survivalist/apocalyptic type stories me like not very much.Which is somewhat kind of a smallish problem, since this is somewhat kind of a survivalist/apocalyptic type story. And survivalist/apocalyptic type thingies me like not very much. I rest in my case and stuff.

② Bloody shrimping unlikable characters ‘R Us.So every loooooonnnnng chapter in this book is told from a different character’s POV (and from a different generation, because why the fish not?). And every single one of them is (choose all that apply):

a) unappealingb) unsympatheticc) unpleasantd) unemotionale) pretty much any other adjective that begins with “un”f) all of the above

They are also flat as my now infamous herd of ironing boards, which obviously doesn’t help. All in all, I think you could say I liked none the characters very much at all. Oh, wait. That’s not true! There’s one character whose POV I did enjoy reading! Stevland the sentient bamboo! Yeah, he was pretty cool. Okay, so his name kept making me think of stevia, and I’m not sure how I feel about zero calorie characters, but at least he wasn’t unfriendly as fish, like the rest of this Planet What’s Its Name colleagues, so I guess I can’t complain and stuff.

③ The Snooze Fest.Pretty much self-explanatory, is it not? Sorry, what? You don’t get it? Let me try and make things a little clearer for you then:

Get it? Good. Clever, clever Barnacles.

➽ And the moral of this If Only The Sentient Beings In This Book Had Been Truly Super Extra Machiavellianly Evil I Might Maybe Perhaps Have Enjoyed It A Little More But They Weren’t So I Didn’t Crappy Non Review(IFTSBITBHBTSEMEIMMPHEIALMBTWSIDCNR™) is: hey, puny humans! Next time you want to invade another realm settle on a new planet, consult with me first. I have extensive experience in the field, and can teach you a thing or two about ruthless colonization living in total peace, love and harmony with the doomed-to-a-slightly-excruciating-death locals and stuff. Just ask Bob, here, he’ll tell you what a friendly, cooperative, non-violent bunch my murderous army children and I are:

Sue Burke’s debut novel Semiosis is an episodic novel that combines contemporary social science fiction with pulp-era adventure. A combination of Colony SF and first contact narrative, it tells the story of successive generations of human settlers – fleeing an earth ravaged by disease, disaster and war – on a planet they call Pax, and their attempts to coexist first with the planet’s sentient plant life, then with an insect-like alien race that had colonized the planet long before. Each sectionSue Burke’s debut novel Semiosis is an episodic novel that combines contemporary social science fiction with pulp-era adventure. A combination of Colony SF and first contact narrative, it tells the story of successive generations of human settlers – fleeing an earth ravaged by disease, disaster and war – on a planet they call Pax, and their attempts to coexist first with the planet’s sentient plant life, then with an insect-like alien race that had colonized the planet long before. Each section of the novel moves ahead to the next generation of leaders, scientists, explorers, and artisans as they try to better integrate themselves with the natural environment on Pax and develop mutually beneficial relationships with its existing sentient and non-sentient life.The most alluring aspect of Semiosis is its heady mix of sociology and planetary romance-like adventure. In one episode, an animal husband defends the settlement from predator attacks with the help of a pack of lions; later, a group of explorers are captured and taken to the home of The Glassmakers, a very alien civilization of fellow pilgrims – situations that could easily arise in old cliffhanger serials like Flash Gordon or the “Sword and Planet” romances of Edgar Rice Burroughs, but focused as much on intellectual growth as feats of derring-do. In fact, one of the issues I had with the novel was that it often moved too hastily, when I wanted it to slow down and examine its discoveries or spend more time with characters who exit the narrative abruptly. All in all, Semiosis is a smart and exciting first novel from an author worth keeping an eye on....more

Semiosis is a debut novel about a small group of humans who travel from an environmentally-damaged Earth to a new planet, in hopes of starting over in a new community based on peace, mutual respect, and hope. Troubles arise as soon as they begin making the planet, which they name Pax, home. Much of the story is about survival – learning how to farm new fields and plant native crops, which animals can be tamed, and which are predators,Review also found at:https://grumpybookgrrrl.com/2018/10/1...

Semiosis is a debut novel about a small group of humans who travel from an environmentally-damaged Earth to a new planet, in hopes of starting over in a new community based on peace, mutual respect, and hope. Troubles arise as soon as they begin making the planet, which they name Pax, home. Much of the story is about survival – learning how to farm new fields and plant native crops, which animals can be tamed, and which are predators, etc.

They discover another sentient race was there before them, who they call the Glassmakers. The Glassmakers had advanced technology, but disappeared. The humans also discover that plant life on Pax is sentient and they begin a relationship with a rainbow bamboo plant they name Stevland. Stevland can make medicine and nutritious fruits, etc. for the humans using oxygen, waste, hydrogen, and many other natural compounds found in the soil, atmosphere, and from other plants.

Each chapter is told from the POV of a member of different generations. Over a hundred years passes during the book. The main character is really Stevland – and his (their?) relationship with the humans. They use a language the Glassmakers created to speak with Stevland. The anatomy of the plant (he had eyes and could see using spores from plants far away and other parts/shoots of themself and even using animals like bats) was unique and well-written. I thought the author did a good job creating plant life that was sentient.

The other animals on the planet were very cool too. One species was a cross between a cat and a rabbit called fippokats. A larger version that more resembled cattle were called fippolions. One human of each generation became a fippomaster and could communicate with the animals and the lions even recognized him as the “alpha.” They could be spoken to and help with complex tasks in exchange for food, shelter, and entertainment! Bits like that were very well done. Another type of animal was like an eagle as tall as a man; predators who could use fire and cook their prey!

The author even describes how life on the planet changed humans. They became shorter and didn’t live as long due to health conditions caused by some environmental incompatibilities (some got cancer or had kidney and lung issues). They came to the planet with advanced technology, computers, medical equipment, but as the items broke down, they had to rely more on Stevland and using the natural resources around them.

The last section of the book deals with the humans and Stevland trying to make peace with the other dominant species of the planet – learning to communicate with them and live peacefully together. I think I expected a darker story. While there were some sections full of action and sci-fi tension, it was mainly a story of survival and exploration.

Semiosis is a multi-generational story that takes place over the course of many years, following a group of human colonists who have traveled light years from Earth to settle on a planet they dubbed Pax. The first pioneers, made up of mostly young scientists and activists who were saddened by the plight of their polluted and war-torn world, hoped to start over and establish a peaceful society on this newly discovered plane4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2018/02/15/...

Semiosis is a multi-generational story that takes place over the course of many years, following a group of human colonists who have traveled light years from Earth to settle on a planet they dubbed Pax. The first pioneers, made up of mostly young scientists and activists who were saddened by the plight of their polluted and war-torn world, hoped to start over and establish a peaceful society on this newly discovered planet. However, they were wholly unprepared for the alien environment that awaited them, nor did they anticipate Pax’s bizarre flora and fauna and the surprising ways they interacted with their surroundings. Many of the original settlers died within a matter of weeks, but through the hard work and perseverance of the survivors, the colony managed to hang on and grow, giving rise to the next generation.

Still, their difficulties were far from over. Despite the settlers’ lofty goals to live in harmony with the land, Pax’s plants and animals behaved in strange and unpredictable ways, causing the humans to adjust and alter their game plans on the fly. With every new generation also came new challenges, both biological and social, such as the problem of sterility in the population or the disagreements between the older members and the younger ones on how the colony should be run. Society adapted to the planet, and Pax adapted in turn.

As someone fascinated with biology, my favorite aspect of Semiosis was the author’s portrayal of the plant and animal life on Pax. The world-building was phenomenal and extremely convincing, as though I was truly transported to an alien planet, encountering organisms that felt vaguely familiar and yet unlike anything I’d ever seen before. This sensation was at once unsettling and exciting. As fascinating as it was to watch how the zoological and botanical sciences were being applied, it would also be a mistake to assume that the natural rules on Earth would work on Pax—a lesson that the first-generation settlers learned the hard way. For example, many plants on Earth have evolved to form symbiotic relationships with other plants or animals. In the case of a bee flying from blossom to blossom, inadvertently fertilizing flowers by gathering pollen, one could argue that the plant had evolved in a way to “train” the insect into helping it. Semiosis explores this concept, except the story takes it even further. Because Pax is different from Earth, the plants on Pax have developed in some extraordinary ways.

Semiosis also makes a lot of insightful observations about the nature of human behavior and the relationship it has with social systems. Earth colonists came to Pax hoping to create a utopia and avoid the mistakes of humanity’s past. In this perfect world, everyone would be treated and valued as equals, and they would also protect and respect the natural order of life on the planet. They quickly realized their hubris. Pax was simply too different, and despite all the humans’ hard work in their research and preparations, the native life on the planet did not behave in a way they expected. To ensure their own survival, the colonists were forced to rearrange some of their priorities. Nothing is black and white, and that’s what I loved about this book. Even the best laid plans—and the best intentions—could fall apart with the introduction of something completely new and weird and unanticipated. And on Pax, that’s pretty much everything.

Of course, there’s also the matter of the book’s unique structure. Because it is made of a number of narratives told over several generations, Semiosis almost has the feel of a collection of short stories, though they do fit together to form a complete picture of the settlement process on Pax. As with most multi-generational stories, you’re not going to get the chance to know any one character intimately; instead, it’s the colony that takes center stage, and the reader is able to experience its development through the years by following one or two of its members in each generation. Each character has a unique perspective on the challenges the society is facing though, so while the names, faces, and situations will change, the book remains interesting. Still, if you know you are not a fan of multi-generational novels, then I doubt this one will work for you.

Personally, I really enjoyed Semiosis. Admittedly, I hadn’t expected the multi-generation format, but I was pleasantly surprised at the intricate way this story was told, and how deftly Sue Burke managed to pull it all together. It was a joy watching the society on Pax evolve over the years, even when the settlers themselves struggled and dealt with some difficult obstacles and brutal conditions. Overall, I found it to be a very realistic depiction of human colonization on an alien planet, and I also admired many of the characters for trying to uphold their values even in the face of danger and despair. I would highly recommend this book for readers who are interested in a fresh and fun perspective on planetary exploration stories and space colonization sci-fi.

Audiobook Comments: The audiobook edition of Semiosis was performed by Daniel Thomas May and Caitlyn Davies, and between the two of them they covered the half dozen or so perspectives featured in this novel. Considering these constraints, the narrators did very well, utilizing varied accents and inflections to portray the different characters of each generation so that each person felt like they had a distinct and unique voice....more

So, imagine eating a bagel. When you're eating, you think, "Now that there is amylose and amylopectin starch entering my system, I should increase transcription of amylase-producing genes so that I can break down these starches into glucose and initiate cellular respiration to turn glucose into ATP to power my cells. Yes! I can feel my ATPase getting ready for action."

Uh, no. I'm pretty sure this isn't what's going through your head (in mine: creamy cream cheese! chewy gluteny toasty!). But theSo, imagine eating a bagel. When you're eating, you think, "Now that there is amylose and amylopectin starch entering my system, I should increase transcription of amylase-producing genes so that I can break down these starches into glucose and initiate cellular respiration to turn glucose into ATP to power my cells. Yes! I can feel my ATPase getting ready for action."

Uh, no. I'm pretty sure this isn't what's going through your head (in mine: creamy cream cheese! chewy gluteny toasty!). But the main plant in Semiosis thinks like this, and it is jarringly at odds with what I would consider sentience - which is not (at least for humans) about understanding and orchestrating the biochemical processes in our bodies. The plant physiology is generally correct in this book, but this perspective feels adamantly artificial. For this and other reasons, Semiosis never convinces me that it's anything more than a thought experiment - an articulate and intelligent one, but a thought experiment nonetheless.

As a cranky plant biologist who prefers the company of plants to people, I thought Semiosis would be right up my alley. In some ways, it's an impressive achievement: a defiantly original story of space colonization and terraforming (or rather, of humans being shaped by their new planet), interspecies relationships, and the earnest attempts of one group of beings to hold true to their vision of creating a peaceful new society.

That said, I spent a lot of time muttering under my breath about the science. Semiosis is winning acclaim as a science-y science fiction, but it feels more like a collection of inserted plant facts rather than a cohesive imagining of how sentience could evolve in a plant within an alien environment. The questions that occurred to me as I was reading - basic questions of physiology, evolution, and metabolism that would occur to other plant biologists - largely went unanswered. Such as: [skip the rest of this review if you have no interest in the finer points of plant science]

1) The author casually mentions that the native organisms of planet Pax are RNA-based. This is super cool, as RNA organisms are thought to have predated DNA organisms on Earth. We no longer have any RNA only organisms (that we know of), but we do have viruses that have only RNA, such as HIV - tricky to treat because RNA replication is a much sloppier process than DNA and results in a lot more mutations. RNA organisms would likely be less stable and evolve faster - or have evolved adaptations to make RNA a more stable information molecule. Semiosis does nothing with this detail that seems like it could have major ramifications for Pax organisms.

2) There is no physiological explanation offered for plant sentience. None. Earth plants move molecules around by diffusion and water chains and pressure flow; they're capable of responding to chemical and even electrical signals, but there's nothing approaching a brain or a centralized system that would readily allow for sentience, thought, speech. I get that these are alien plants, but if they share so much of the physiology of earth plants, I want at least an attempted explanation.

3) The plants on Pax are disappointingly earthy. So much could have been done with alien, sentient plants! For example, there's no obvious reason large, photosynthetic, mobile organisms couldn't have evolved on Earth. We have single-celled motile algae like euglena, but nothing much bigger. How fun would it be to come up with a physiologically plausible evolutionary path for, say, facultative photosynthetic cat-like creatures? (Might explain why they like lying around in the sun...) The details of circulation, scaffolding (cellulose? chitin?), epidermal texture (chloroplasts in the hairs?), metabolism, and nutrient acquisition would all have to be worked out. The possibilities on another planet with different physical constraints are so, so intriguing. But no, Pax's plants are pretty much Earth plants with sentience.

4) Minor annoyance: the author uses Earth plant genus names sometimes when she'd be better off making them up. There is no way anyone could confuse a Lycopodium (a club moss that looks like fuzzy green reindeer antlers) with a grass, and that kind of detail yanks me right out of a story.

I knew Semiosis wasn't going to be a character driven book when I started (each chapter features a different character from the next generation), but I was hoping the ideas would make up for them. I think there's plenty to chew on here, but I almost didn't finish this one before it was due back at the library because I was finding the primary literature on plant communication so much more interesting....more

Space colonization, first contact and non-human intelligence feature in this wonderful generational story with lots of crunchy science fictional sociology and biology.

The planet of Pax has had a billion years more evolution than Earth ecosystems. Intelligence abounds, sometimes in unusual places like in plants that can communicate with the rest of their rich ecosystem and manipulate animals for their own ends. This novel tells the stories of descending generations from the very first settlers asSpace colonization, first contact and non-human intelligence feature in this wonderful generational story with lots of crunchy science fictional sociology and biology.

The planet of Pax has had a billion years more evolution than Earth ecosystems. Intelligence abounds, sometimes in unusual places like in plants that can communicate with the rest of their rich ecosystem and manipulate animals for their own ends. This novel tells the stories of descending generations from the very first settlers as humanity adapts to the strange new world of Pax and a very different biological context, with the real question of whether the original goals that the colony was founded with can survive or are even appropriate.

The individual chapters as we move through generations after settlement have different narrators, most of which have compelling voices and interesting stories in their own right. With this sort of structure, that does mean that the author can be pretty horrible to some of her characters though, so be aware of that. One of those voices is actually a non-human and its perspective is really interesting, and adds a lot of context to the discussion of social concepts vs biological imperatives. In a lot of ways this book reminds me of Children of Time which is high praise in my opinion....more

50 colonists flee a future Earth, wracked by warfare and ecologic collapse. They hope to make a fresh start on a new planet far, far away. After 150-some years in hibernation, they awake to find a promising green world below. The landing doesn’t go well: one of the landers crashes, killing 12 settlers and destroying irreplaceable equipment. Another four die fAn impressively thoughtful and original science-fiction novel. As always, please read the header blurb first. 4.5 stars, rounded up. Bravo!

50 colonists flee a future Earth, wracked by warfare and ecologic collapse. They hope to make a fresh start on a new planet far, far away. After 150-some years in hibernation, they awake to find a promising green world below. The landing doesn’t go well: one of the landers crashes, killing 12 settlers and destroying irreplaceable equipment. Another four die from other accidents, and the book opens with three more deaths, settlers poisoned by fruit from a vine-thicket that had been wholesome a few days earlier. The little colony looks very tenuous indeeed….

Plants on Pax can be smart and dominant, it turns out, and are happy to reward animals who help them, and punish those who help their enemies. Pax will not be so peaceful as the settlers hoped.

I’ve gone about as far as I can without serious SPOILERS — but I can’t resist a shout-out to a certain GR pal: a forceful woman named Tatiana becomes the colony’s police chief and then its leader, an office she later shares with a a giant grove of very bossy, rainbow-colored bamboo. I LOVED the fippocats, who believe that life should be fun. Oh, and the local birds bark!...more

-The world. Exceptionally well realized and diverse. The author did a fantastic job making it feel foreignArgh, this was almost so freaking awesome. Instead it was just fine. Lots of cool bits. Lots of parts that annoyed me, but well packaged enough to be quick entertainment.

-The world. Exceptionally well realized and diverse. The author did a fantastic job making it feel foreign and yet familiar enough to picture. I loved how different all the sentient forms were, and how the ecology worked.

-The biology in general. There were a few hand-wavy bits, but overall this book is biology-centric. The research was evident and I loved how much it added to the sensory explanations of what everyone was experiencing and how each character viewed it. I don't see that much and I loved it for that.

-The adapting society. Each "chapter" is from a different POV and most of them are from different generations of colonists. It was neat to see how the society changed and how its origin myths adapted over 6 generations.

-The Rainbow Bamboo. I don't want to give it away, but this plant was far and away the one I was rooting for (pun intended, 'BOO all you want.)

Things that pissed me right off

-Sylvia and Higgins. These two chapters almost made me give up. Between the blatant exploitative sexual violence (in the sense that the author was using this as shorthand to tell me how bad things were rather than an honest trauma to be dealt with) and the petulance of both characters, I thought I had made a terrible mistake.

-The parts that weren't researched. So...the botany and chemistry aspects of this book were excellent. But the stuff about humans was pretty obviously not good. For example, in order for the gene pool to remain fresh enough to avoid degenerative effects of inbreeding, the accepted minimum population is 160 humans, assuming all are capable of breeding. Compare with what we're told in this book. Other things that we just skipped over that I know wouldn't work like that at all...see Sylvia's chapter.

-This wasn't the book I was sold. The first 10% this sounds like it's going to be sort of like "The Sparrow" and "Ender's Game"--but just the part about meeting sentient creatures who don't understand humans. I was here for that. I was so excited to see the colonists figure out how to work with/around the native species and the ooky horror of realizing that despite no other noticeable predators, you're not alone and you're being hunted. That feeling was freaking cool. This did not last.

-Some inconsistencies. The author would reference things that changed throughout the book, and I didn't understand why they changed, if they weren't just mistakes. Also, this book changed "tone" a lot. It was a sci fi horror! It was a YA teen revolution! It was a political intrigue! It was first contact! It was humans against the "barbarian cultures!" It was hard to keep the plot in my head.

-Could have been a bit shorter. There were parts that felt really drawn out that didn't tell me anything I wanted to know.

I'm not upset I read it, and the parts that were great were stellar. Unfortunately the parts that weren't great were pretty aggravating. Very torn about this. Likely a 3.5, rounded down because I'd give a ton of caveats if I recommended it to anyone. Also, the audiobook narration was pretty good. The man narrator was excellent. The woman narrator made the annoying parts more annoying as she read everyone like they were a snob or an idiot. Luckily, she did not do most of the reading.

ETA: I read this review by Jennifer, who has a much more in depth understanding of the science behind a story like this. I found it a very good list of considerations and quick explanations to address that aspect of the book....more

Plants are everywhere and they might also be our overlords. Sue Burke, in her essay, gave apple as an example. Apple trees hope you’ll eat their fruit, then throw away the core with its seeds so apples can expand their range. They originated in central Asia and now get tender loving care in orchards all over the world. In some regions, they even shape the economy and the lives of many people. Mission accomplished.

In this novel, Burke brought us to Pax, a newly colonized planet where a handful ofPlants are everywhere and they might also be our overlords. Sue Burke, in her essay, gave apple as an example. Apple trees hope you’ll eat their fruit, then throw away the core with its seeds so apples can expand their range. They originated in central Asia and now get tender loving care in orchards all over the world. In some regions, they even shape the economy and the lives of many people. Mission accomplished.

In this novel, Burke brought us to Pax, a newly colonized planet where a handful of humans faced intelligent plants and various wildlife. The plants - like Earth plants - exist in a continual state of war against their neighbors, competing for nutrients, sunshine and so on. The humans were caught in between whether they liked it or not. This is an amazing first contact story, it will stimulate your sense of wonder. Especially when it comes to the question: who is serving who? It depends on whose perception. (Hell, even my cat thinks I exist to give her food and become her pillow).

Plants know we're watching. Tomatoes change color to let us know they're ready to be eaten (and thus spread their seeds). We humans – and other animals – are actually very easy to control with food. But then, the human colony here, their central tenet was collaboration, cooperation, harmony, unity. How they achieved their goal and their learning curve, is such a joy to read.

That's not all. The novel, with its ideas, is also full with great characters. There are POVs told from different generation, from the "Parents" (first settlers) to their nth generation descendants. I read some generational and/or planet survival stories but this one is my favorite. Each POV was unique and compelling. They had such different personalities and made different decisions and mistakes, but I was equally drawn to every single one. The writing flows effortlessly, it's very readable even during some scientific discourse on plants.

And yet another great thing about Semiosis, it's also one of those novels that made you experience a whole range of emotions. I was scared and wary when reading the first chapter, then I found myself smiling and feeling confident, followed with shock and angry, but then I became contemplative and was full with hope again, chuckling over some silliness (usually involving the native, domesticated animals - I want a fippokat!) and elated during some victorious moments. It's an emotional roller coaster ride that provides a fulsome experience.

A powerful and compelling story yet also smart, refreshing and easy to read. And thank you, Earth plants, for your willingness to share this planet with us.

I usually find books that have ‘generational’ narrators, the story jumping several years/decades ahead, a tad difficult to connect. Semiosis was different in the sense that it caught my interest early and didn’t relent. We follow a group of human colonists trying to start anew on a different planet, escaping the excesses and horrors of Earth. However this world of Pax has a very different vegetation, one that first puzzles, but ultimately endangers them. These plants are ‘aware’ and even attainiI usually find books that have ‘generational’ narrators, the story jumping several years/decades ahead, a tad difficult to connect. Semiosis was different in the sense that it caught my interest early and didn’t relent. We follow a group of human colonists trying to start anew on a different planet, escaping the excesses and horrors of Earth. However this world of Pax has a very different vegetation, one that first puzzles, but ultimately endangers them. These plants are ‘aware’ and even attaining sentience, manipulating whatever or indeed whoever for survival. How can these two totally disparate parties attain harmony in this ‘ecosystem’? Is it even possible?

Burke offers a very intriguing story, not just the very alien point of view of the Bamboo but also how these humans behave under these circumstances, some repeating the very same mistakes they were trying to escape from. Additionally, each new voice brought something new, not just in terms of perception, each narrator’s characteristics and tone shaping the story, and yet the author meshed it all smoothly....more

'Semiosis' is an astounding science fiction read. There are so many ideas written into the plot book clubs could extend discussions of the book to two nights! Yet YA readers will have lots of action and suspense to enjoy. Only those readers who dislike generation sagas might be disappointed in the book. However, unlike many sagas, this novel is fast-paced and character-driven.

The author concentrates on a few characters from several generations in the establishment of a human colonChek-ooo! Kak!

'Semiosis' is an astounding science fiction read. There are so many ideas written into the plot book clubs could extend discussions of the book to two nights! Yet YA readers will have lots of action and suspense to enjoy. Only those readers who dislike generation sagas might be disappointed in the book. However, unlike many sagas, this novel is fast-paced and character-driven.

The author concentrates on a few characters from several generations in the establishment of a human colony on a newly discovered planet full of plant life with varying degrees of sentience. Social drama is the focus rather than the colony's historical development, although the colony's history is also told by the drama and struggles of each generation, narrated in separate chapters by different characters.

Quoted from page 14:

""I was dreaming about children," she said.

We'd talked a lot about children. They'd grow up in this gravity, so they'd be shorter, adapted to their environment, and belong to Pax. Just Pax. Her Ireland and my Mexico wouldn't mean anything to them. I held her tighter.

"Pax will be home."I lay still, knowing that she tended to wake up suddenly and would fall asleep again just as suddenly. In the dark I could see little of the improvised hut that was now our home.

We had not expected paradise. We had expected hardship, danger, and potential failure. We hoped to create a new society in full harmony with nature, but nineteen people had died of accidents and illnesses since we arrived, including three who had died before for no apparent reason."

Octavo, the colony's biologist who is narrating the above excerpt, is very worried.

Quoted from page 34:

""Plants are not that smart." [says a Parent colonist]

"They adapt," [Octavo] said. "They evolve." At the university, we had joked about the ways plants abused insects to make them carry pollen or seeds, but insects were small. On Pax, the snow vines were enormous. Next to them, humans and fippokats were insects, objects to abuse."

Quoted from page 37:

"The snow vines had learned fast, too. They had realized that we are like fippokats and used us like them, giving us healthy or poisonous fruit. But the west vine had attacked our fields. It had noticed how we differed from fippokats, that we are farmers, and it had developed a plan that required conspicuous effort on its part. Creative, original ideas and perseverance were signs of intelligence--real intelligence, insightful. It had weighed possible courses of action, then chosen one."

Play ominous music now. Ok, then. Maybe they can reach an accommodation. People DO make something plants like, besides the having of the ability to irrigate and prune - dead people. We make great fertilizer.

: )

Fippokats are furry green house-cat-sized herbivores who hop like springboks. They are easy to train and they enjoy sitting in human laps to be petted. They are also good to eat. I want one, actually - to pet, not eat!

The "Parents" - the first generation of colonists - mean well, and they do not condone violence, but they are intensely ideological to the point of requiring an obedience to their social ideals over facts, whether those facts be of human or environmental nature.

The second generation of colonists eventually realizes that if the colony is to survive, the colony's politics and principles which are rigidly enforced by the first generation have to be bent to the realities of the environment on the new planet. The second generation also recognizes they all brought unalterable human emotions within themselves from Earth, despite their efforts to reboot social mores.

Then, the plucky human community learns they were not the first space travellers to land on this planet...

Eep!

The "Parents" reminded me of what I have read about the first generation of Communists in the 1920's, or of the revolutionaries of 18th-century French Revolution, blended with the ideas of 20th-century farming communes and later, hippies.

I really liked this book! It is very well-written with extremely interesting world-building. It is graphic in a few scenes, and there is violence and murder. My favorite plant was Stevland (who demonstrated the most personal growth of any character - *snicker*), and my favorite human was Higgins. Of the Glassmaker Queens of course I liked curly-haired See-You best! As far as how I feel about the dastardly orange trees - hissssss, boooo!...more

This is a first contact, multi-generational planetary settlement story that focuses on the characters and group sociology. I personally love this kind of book, so it was a winner for me right from the start. Such an interesting take this was too, with the sentient local species that engages with the human settlers being a plant. I liked too that while some of the expected patterns of behaviour do play out, there is a realistic commitment to a higher ideal by the settlA solid 4 star read for me.

This is a first contact, multi-generational planetary settlement story that focuses on the characters and group sociology. I personally love this kind of book, so it was a winner for me right from the start. Such an interesting take this was too, with the sentient local species that engages with the human settlers being a plant. I liked too that while some of the expected patterns of behaviour do play out, there is a realistic commitment to a higher ideal by the settlers that I found refreshing.

People who follow my reviews will know that I am also doing a buddy read at the moment of the behemoth tome, The Big Book of Science Fiction. Coincidentally, the story I read from that book just prior to starting Semiosis was "Where Two Paths Cross" by Russian author Dmitri Bilenkin. That 1973 short story deals similarly with humans making first contact with alien plants far more intelligent than they are accustomed to. It made for an interesting contrast to read that story and the ideas briefly introduced and then to move on to Semiosis and see how Burke picked up, expanded, and took those ideas in incredible ways. I don't know if Burke has actually ever read Bilenkin's story, but as a reader, the two works together made for a great pairing for all kinds of reasons.

Excellent SF with a focus on biology, in this case the relationship between human colonists on a planet they’ve named Pax, and an intelligent plant. Reminded me - in the best possible way - of Children of Time in the way it invited us into the interior life of Stevland, as the plant comes to be called, and the completely different connection the human build with it.

Much of what I comment in this review can be read in the first chapter (and I must note that the cover and synopsis of the book reveals more than this review, if you don't want spoilers don't read it). In short, “Semiosis” explains the colonization of an unknown planet, a planet with a rich ecology. The colonists call it Pax.

The Pacifists, trying to distance from Earth's wars and ecological disasters, organize theThree and half stars.

(Apologies for my English, I’m trying to improve it, thanks!)

Much of what I comment in this review can be read in the first chapter (and I must note that the cover and synopsis of the book reveals more than this review, if you don't want spoilers don't read it). In short, “Semiosis” explains the colonization of an unknown planet, a planet with a rich ecology. The colonists call it Pax.

The Pacifists, trying to distance from Earth's wars and ecological disasters, organize themselves according to the Pax Constitution that establishes the rules of a non-aggressive democratic society armonious with the nature. But the planet has its own rules, and above all has its own ecology. A very developed ecology, more complex than the one the Earth had in past (and better) times, one ecology in which the living beings have more evolved relationships. For example, semi intelligent animals such as eagles that know how to make fire; or plants that communicate, negotiate and even go to war with each other.

The inhabitants of Pax do not have it easy. A gravity ⅕ higher than on the Earth and a rich ecology of green plants but based on RNA will be very difficult to adapt to. As time goes by, they will lose the technological support that they have been able to bring with them, while at the same time the planet begins to influence them as human beings and also challenges their utopic model of society.

I can not resist to quote one paragraph of the novel:

"We awakened, cold and dizzy, with our muscles, hearts, and digestive systems atrophied from the 158-year hibernation on a tiny spaceship. The computer had brought us into orbit, sent a message to Earth, then administered intravenous drugs.

Two hours later I was in the cramped cabin trying to sip an electrolyte drink when Vera, our astronomer, came flying in from the control module, her tightly curled hair trailing like a black cloud.

"We’re at the wrong star!""

(The computer has found a more habitable planet and has changed the course of the spaceship).

As I said before, the worldbuilding is in my opinion the best of this novel. An exquisite approach, very well thought out. About the story, if you take into account the various characters that appear in the course of time, it is a choral novel. In addition, it must be said that the author manages to dodge the “bucolic trap”, although there are times when the development of the plot is a bit tricky, but the growing symbiosis between the terrans and the ecology justifies it.

Regarding to the story, I have found it at all times interesting, with good moments of intrigue but others a bit predictables. Also, I consider that successive characters along the story are well developed, although the evolution and motivations of a key figure in the plot are not clear enough.

The novel is the first of a duology, but this is a standalone story. So, Semiosis is an enjoyable example of the good science fiction that is being done in recent years, while also it maintains a classic sense of discovery. I recommend it (and you must read it if you want to know the meaning of the title ;-).

Although it is a totally original novel, to get an idea it have evoked me these other readings: “The Dispossessed” by Ursula K. LeGuin, or the also excellent “Dark Eden” by Chris Beckett. This book also made me think about “Bios”, an interesting work by Robert Charles Wilson....more

Wow. WOW. Terran collonists learning to communicate and survive on an alien planet with the help of sentient plantlife. This is one stunning, engrossing piece of Le Guin-esque work of speculative scifi.

I do agree with others that it took a while for the plot to evolve, but that somehow seems fitting, as this is a generations story. We follow different individuals from different years, with each their specific story and point of view. I liked that way of telling it because even though it is on thWow. WOW. Terran collonists learning to communicate and survive on an alien planet with the help of sentient plantlife. This is one stunning, engrossing piece of Le Guin-esque work of speculative scifi.

I do agree with others that it took a while for the plot to evolve, but that somehow seems fitting, as this is a generations story. We follow different individuals from different years, with each their specific story and point of view. I liked that way of telling it because even though it is on the surface a story about a community, they are not a homogenous group devoid of conflict. I loved how their different troubles were highly specific to the circumstances under which they lived, and this is the kind of scifi. I loved how there was both light and darkness and grey areas.

Fifty years in the future, a group of humans leaving an Earth troubled by global warming, for a new planet.

We begin with the the first group arriving on the world they call Pax 150 years after they took off. Pax is the name picked ahead of time to cement their intention to live in harmony with one another and with their world; they had aimed at another, but woke to find the ship off course, so they located a planet that seemed to fit their requirements.

Alas, very soon this seeming paradise proveFifty years in the future, a group of humans leaving an Earth troubled by global warming, for a new planet.

We begin with the the first group arriving on the world they call Pax 150 years after they took off. Pax is the name picked ahead of time to cement their intention to live in harmony with one another and with their world; they had aimed at another, but woke to find the ship off course, so they located a planet that seemed to fit their requirements.

Alas, very soon this seeming paradise proves to be very alien indeed, as the colonists die off from illness or accident. One of those who died early was the second botonist, leaving a single botonist to try to figure out the ecology ahead of the disappearance of their food sources.

And what he discovers by trial and sudden error is that the plant life is a whole lot more alien than anyone assumed.

Burke does a terrific job with her alien silence, from the three-sidded critters to questions of intelligence and agency in life forms totally unlike mammals.

She also does a good job with depicting how humans would adapt over generations. The book is divided into sections, which means that just as I was getting to know one set of people and their interactions, we shifted forward to a new set, with new problems.

I might not always agree with some of the social dynamics and their consequences (I think this had to do with some narrative jumps, and I might have felt differently if this had been a series of seven books, each taking the time to delve into characters to the degree that my own reading tastes tend toward), but I still thought Burke did a convincing job, especially with crafting people who strive to be good human beings. (However they define that.)

There are rough times, but this is no bleak grimdark SF novel. The worldbuilding was rivetingly terrific-especially, I think, for readers who like the science part of science fiction.

2. A space faring civilization who can send 50 people light years away but couldn't spare the weight for an extra food synthesizer? Really the loss of that could have been done in a 100 more believable ways.

3. A 50 person colony? I didn'How to justify my 3 star rating? The beginning of the book was very rough on my brain. I had an extremely difficult time getting past

2. A space faring civilization who can send 50 people light years away but couldn't spare the weight for an extra food synthesizer? Really the loss of that could have been done in a 100 more believable ways.

3. A 50 person colony? I didn't think that worked genetically but I am a physics/computer geek not biology so maybe?

That was in the first 30 pages so no spoiler tags. Once Burke stopped floundering around trying to set up the obvious world she wanted, the book got much better! Loved the evil sentient plant thing and the beat you over the head symbiosis setup. I really liked how Burke set up the generational tension throughout, very believable both in her book and our reality. I am also, so going to name my next pet Steveland.

It sounds like I really enjoyed it but there was just too much meandering. I tend not to like books that feel like a set of short stories strung together and this is no exception. I needed more transition and more time to attach to the characters. The world and native plants are the MC in Semiosis but Burke didn't really make it awesome enough for me, the whole glassmaker conflict was kind of blah although the ultimate battle was well done.

I think ultimately it just had too much of the pacifist discussion/motivation/philosophy for it to be a vibrant book. I agree with all she wanted to say and I liked the conversion of Steveland but it was too many words, not enough Eagles!...more

Burke examines the secret life of plants. Specifically, "what ifs" surrounding sentience. A multi-generational human saga, while the plants have a much longer lifespan. Had a YA feel which for me is a turn off. The sentient plant reminded me of other works in which artificial intelligence attains sentience. Apparently with sentience comes ambition, guilt and a smattering of malevolence. There was some humor associated with the various types of plants and some rivalries with animals. InterestingBurke examines the secret life of plants. Specifically, "what ifs" surrounding sentience. A multi-generational human saga, while the plants have a much longer lifespan. Had a YA feel which for me is a turn off. The sentient plant reminded me of other works in which artificial intelligence attains sentience. Apparently with sentience comes ambition, guilt and a smattering of malevolence. There was some humor associated with the various types of plants and some rivalries with animals. Interesting ideas, mediocre novel.

3.5ish Stars rounded up because I am interested in the sequel.

Listened to audiobook. Narrators Caitlin Davies and Daniel Thomas May were very good....more

I was attracted to this book by Gary's review and the premise of a first contact story combined with a generational colony story, two of my absolute favourite SF setups. In the first chapter the colonists encounter two competing sentient plant based life forms and with all the trepidation and foreshadowing of teens entering a spooky house in a horror flick, choose their botanical side.The second chapter moves forward a generation and unearths a major cover up. At the end of the second chapter abI was attracted to this book by Gary's review and the premise of a first contact story combined with a generational colony story, two of my absolute favourite SF setups. In the first chapter the colonists encounter two competing sentient plant based life forms and with all the trepidation and foreshadowing of teens entering a spooky house in a horror flick, choose their botanical side.The second chapter moves forward a generation and unearths a major cover up. At the end of the second chapter about 3 hours into the audiobook I was absolutely HOOKED. I was finding excuses to walk around at work so I could listen to just a few more minutes, I was in a minor state of shock and doing first pumps at HOW GOOD THIS BOOK WAS.

Unlike most of the other books I've read or listened to lately this was an absolute page turner I devoured in a few days. The pace is incredibly fast with each chapter (about 90 minutes of audio) representing one generation of the colony. At this pace I expected the story to cover hundreds or even thousands of years like "Foundation" but it is actually only the story of the beginnings of the colony.

The original setup is incredibly effective at hooking the reader in, so much so that I was constantly imagining my own story of what was going to happen and where this all was going. It is a credit to author Sue Burke that "Semiosis" stimulated my imagination so thoroughly. It is also somewhat inevitable that the climax couldn't live up to my own expectations.

I'm going to keep this part of the review spoiler free but I will say that while the middle and end of the book weren't a total bummer, I couldn't help but be a bit disappointed that the wrap up was so...conventional when there was potential here for something much more strange and spectacular. Like the giant foot statue in "Lost" I didn't feel all of the enticing bread crumbs were paid off or explained to my satisfaction - even though I enjoyed following them immensely.

The audiobook was fine with chapters from a female perspective narrated by Caitlin Davies and the male chapters narrated by Daniel Thomas May. The one issue I had was that May had to find a voice for the plant intelligence "Steveland" and went with "overacting Shakespearian guest actor on Star Trek" voice. This was OK for most of the book, since a clever plant is a hard voice to come up with. At the end of the novel where the climax is narrated by Steveland for chapters at a time, it got to be over the top and annoying.

I did enjoy the ride "Semiosis" took me on and recommend it to fans of the first contact/space colony genre. It has certainly inspired my first feature length review in QUITE some time. Now to the spoilers:

(view spoiler)[So I had a few issues with this book. In Chapter 2 we find that the first generation knew about the rainbow bamboo but chose to live in their decrepid camp basically because..."drugs are bad...mmkay". Well..I expected that this was done for a more legitimate reason and that in Chapter 3 (or anywhere else) we were going to flash back and read about the first generation's interaction with Steveland and that this decision was not as stupid as it seemed on the surface. There had to be a reason for the cover up! Instead this first generation who were adventurous enough to want to sail across the galaxy in the first place chose to hide in their tents and cover up the glassmaker city and actively blindfold the 2nd generation. I'm not buying it!

Pour one out for Julian. this death and the revenge murder were absolutely shocking to me and even thought I don't know anything about Julian other that that he was infertile this combined with the cover up of an alien city made me want to join the murderous revolution with Katniss Everdeen or whatever her name was.

A lesser problem but their spaceship has the computing power to get them to a distant sun but not enough to survive even one generation of landing on the planet. their hard drive barely had enough space for a few books. The satellite system was a problem. Got it up and running....oops it doensn't work now...we can't do anything...back to the stone age. OK! Lucky we have all those books...nevermind.

The glassmakers. We don't get any explanation or clues as to how their civilisation fell apart. This is the central mystery surrounding them....and nothing. When they first burned the bamboo I expected a rich history of interaction with evil Steveland that led them to abandon their city and strike out on their own. Some central conflict between Steveland and the glassmakers. Nope. Story goes - they were smart now they are dumb and dying...OK

I feel like a huge opportunity was missed with the character of Steveland, he legitimately could have been one of the greatest SF villains of all time. I was imagining a "black mirror" like scenario where subsequent generations of humans grow more and more dependent on him until cycles of rebellion and Steveland reasserting himself come into play. Eventually the humans think they have him under control but they are actually doing what Steveland wants via the mindfruit.

We are told at the start that Steveland is out for himself, this is followed through with the next generation who reinforce this, then when the pacifists are totally under his branchy thumb, it turns out the humans have been the ones who domesticated Steveland! Happy ending! This was like pointing out Chekov's gun in the first act, reminding us about it in the second and never firing it in the 3rd. I just didn't buy any of this, it almost felt like Burke changed where the story was going half way through. We have this power hungry, manipulative, ego maniacal, spacefaring aspirant plant who wants to have it all - then suddenly feels sad he couldn't make it work with the glassmakers and gets emo he had to kill a few. I really couldn't get on board with the end where the glassmakers are waging war and everyone was so desperate to protect these stinky leeching murderers. Steveland could have been an amazing, powerful villain. Instead he ends up like a lovely old pacifist human.

I think if any one of these 3 points conspiracy/glassmakers/Steveland were nailed it would have been a 5 star story. Maybe I was just disappointed that the whole time it felt like this was going to be a darker story with the rug cleverly pulled out from the reader. Instead in the end the ewoks and the Jedi and the stormtroopers had a big bonfire and sang songs together. (hide spoiler)]...more

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

Well mateys. I learned a new word from this novel. Semiosis. Cool sounding word. Wasn’t sure of it’s exact meaning. So I be sharing with me hearties:

semiosis : a process in which something functions as a sign to an organism.

Yup, this book was indeed all about that. A bunch of folk from Earth have dreams of creating a new space colony dedicated to being in harmony wAhoy there me mateys! I received this sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

Well mateys. I learned a new word from this novel. Semiosis. Cool sounding word. Wasn’t sure of it’s exact meaning. So I be sharing with me hearties:

semiosis : a process in which something functions as a sign to an organism.

Yup, this book was indeed all about that. A bunch of folk from Earth have dreams of creating a new space colony dedicated to being in harmony with nature. The colony is called Pax for the peaceful civilization of their dreams. Only when they wake up, they find that the ship has sent them to a different planet than they expected. With little choice, they decide to make the best of it. But what happens when nature has a mind of its own?

Well, interestingly weird things happen. Plants, animals, weather – nothing is like the humans planned for. In fact one of the best things about this novel is how the human planning goes all wrong – especially in the beginning. Humans do survive but with interesting consequences. Another fun thing about this novel is that the story is told over 5 generations and 107 years with different narrators for each chapter. So the reader gets to see the ramifications of earlier choices as well as get some of the distortion of truth as time goes by.

Me favourite thing about the book is the relationships formed between the humans and the natural inhabitants of the planet. The signs and communication between lifeforms is the theme and highlight of the book. I loved the way language was used and the various forms it took. If I could have some of the animals as me life companions then I would certainly want a kat, which I picture as a cuddly miniature kangaroo that plays leapfrog and digs holes. The characters were individualized and well portrayed. I thought the plot was solid if somewhat plodding. But the concepts of utopias, mutualism, first contact, culture, and co-existence made this a very enjoyable read.

***Note: I received a copy curtesy of Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge in exchange for an honest review.

Wanting to leave behind numerous conflicts, warfare and ecological disasters, a group of colonists departs Earth, to create a new, better life. They decide to land on another planet than the one they set out to, based on very good readings from their ship, so they arrive on PAX (latin for peace) with few casualties. Here, they try to form a society based on peace and harmony, avoiding conflic***Note: I received a copy curtesy of Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge in exchange for an honest review.

Wanting to leave behind numerous conflicts, warfare and ecological disasters, a group of colonists departs Earth, to create a new, better life. They decide to land on another planet than the one they set out to, based on very good readings from their ship, so they arrive on PAX (latin for peace) with few casualties. Here, they try to form a society based on peace and harmony, avoiding conflicts and trying to negotiate and coexist with Pax’s sentient alien life.

Apart from the interesting premises of sentient plants and the intriguing PoV of one of this sentient lifeforms, you have lots more to think about during and after reading this book. If you decide to depart your planet (you are not forced, but DECIDE to leave - would you, really?! even to escape a warring and suicidal society), how do you choose what to take with you? Not only objects (computers, spare parts, medical equipment, industrial appliances), but especially knowledge: medicine, science, history (to know what to avoid) etc. Also, do you disclose to future generations the warfare in human history, trying to teach them how to avoid it, or do you simply erase it from their knowledge, so they don’t know that can exist? Not to mention that nothing guarantees that future generations will value this way of thinking and living and won’t make the same mistakes that seem to hover over humanity..

3.5★ rounded up for the idea and the questions that it aroused in me. ...more

Read as an e-book after my library acted on my suggestion to buy this.

I have to admit, I am still inexperienced with e-books and I'm afraid that I don't process them quite the same way I would if I were reading the paper edition. So, I don't know for sure if I'm evaluating the different aspects of this the way I would 'normally' ... the way you're used to if you read my reviews regularly.

That being said:

I *love* the premise of this story, starting with first contact with aliens who are truly alRead as an e-book after my library acted on my suggestion to buy this.

I have to admit, I am still inexperienced with e-books and I'm afraid that I don't process them quite the same way I would if I were reading the paper edition. So, I don't know for sure if I'm evaluating the different aspects of this the way I would 'normally' ... the way you're used to if you read my reviews regularly.

That being said:

I *love* the premise of this story, starting with first contact with aliens who are truly alien, and following the colony through several generations.

I believe in all the characters. I admire how they're written. No Mary Sues, but plenty of strong women interacting with other strong women. No cliches, male or female. Passes the Bechdel Test w/ flying colors. No problem that I spot with race or homosexuality.

I did find the beginning just a bit slow... but was that because I was using a back-lit e-reader (Android Tablet) in bed? Could be.... It did take me four sessions to get through the book... but not because I wasn't fascinated, and not because I didn't care about the colony and the peoples.

In fact, I'm sad it's over. I think it was gracefully written, intelligent, thought-provoking, at times very exciting, at times humorous.... It definitely satisfied my desire for "What If" and "Sense of Wonder" in SF.

I wasn't expecting much from this book, but I ended up really loving it. It's so smart, creative, and relevant...man I would just totally recommend this! I've never read anything like it and 100% see myself rereading it in the future!

I enjoyed the last few chapters a lot, but I really wasn't a fan of the first few. Ironically, for a book that's about mutualism and learning to work together, I didn't think it dealt very well with human relationships - there was a lack of feeling of community, family, friendship, and even romantic connection to me in almost every POV. I generally prefer stories about groups of people working together to achieve a goal, but despite the communal setting, much of the framing of the storytelling aI enjoyed the last few chapters a lot, but I really wasn't a fan of the first few. Ironically, for a book that's about mutualism and learning to work together, I didn't think it dealt very well with human relationships - there was a lack of feeling of community, family, friendship, and even romantic connection to me in almost every POV. I generally prefer stories about groups of people working together to achieve a goal, but despite the communal setting, much of the framing of the storytelling and plot seemed to emphasize individual exceptional "heroic" people doing things. The author also handled sexuality poorly, especially around gender relations and same-sex relationships. The way same-sex relationships were depicted verged on offensive and hit some of my personal "greedy bisexual" pet peeves. Overall, I struggled with connecting with most of the characters (which I can't even blame on the episodic structure, because some of my favorite books follow a large number of characters over many years) and the different POV characters didn't actually feel like they had different, distinguishable voices.

However, the last few chapters were great. There was finally the appearance of a POV character who wasn't super special and powerful. There started to actually be a feeling of community and connection between characters in the writing. And the plot came together with the world-building to present the fascinating story that was lurking underneath all along. It was just a shame it took so long to get to that point....more

Sue Burke's "Semiosis: A Novel" is shallowly written, flat, and poorly characterized. I waded through 21% of it before it added in truly nonsensical and distasteful events. At that point, I threw it down in disgust. Horrible 1 star out of 5.

Sketch of a review:+ There have been numerous sci-fi writings about the value of a communion human-biosphere. This being sci-fi, the communion does not need to take place on Earth, and does not need to be harmonious or even successful (e.g., as in the horror-grade story of Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem). The cultural community of Japan, especially Manga, has taken up and expanded on a version of Gaia, e.g., Hayao Miyazaki's entire work in manga including Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.+ In the 1Sketch of a review:+ There have been numerous sci-fi writings about the value of a communion human-biosphere. This being sci-fi, the communion does not need to take place on Earth, and does not need to be harmonious or even successful (e.g., as in the horror-grade story of Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem). The cultural community of Japan, especially Manga, has taken up and expanded on a version of Gaia, e.g., Hayao Miyazaki's entire work in manga including Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.+ In the 1970s, the scientific community focusing on ecology and evolution has introduced, through the work of Lovelock and Margulis, the concept of Gaia, the notion that the whole (Earthly) biosphere could act as a super-organism (albeit, not explicitly coordinated or uniformly intelligent). The concept does not seem to match the scientific theory of evolution, and in particular selection, see for example the work of Ehrlich on coevolution.

+ Semiosis is a modern-day book about Gaia, but placed on a planet far, far away. It's The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World, less scientific and less mystical, plus a plot with a human colony stranded away. Humans are exploring and colonizing, forming a communion with a spirited super-organism, here, a perennial plant from the grass family (spoilers away!). There are many reasonable features in this book, but each of rather moderate quality: the exploration is interesting but reduced in scope, the colonization parts are tame, the detective section is not thrilling and resolves anti-climactically, the procedural legal battle drags on, the action pieces lack intensity, the opposing parties seem too powerful to admit the resolutions proposed by the author, etc.

The book is structured as seven loosely connected episodes, so the effect it produces is an accumulation of information across several important domains:+ Ecology (sci): The book excels in biology, and indeed uses many aspects one can find in The Hidden Life of Trees. The rest of the ecology is less believable and in particular the protagonist Glassmakers seem to have devolved significantly without us understanding how and why, and the fire-making, tool-using eagles remain under-developed throughout the book.

+/-- Colony formation: The processes associated with exploration, colonization, settling, etc. include good passages, but overall there are simply too many technical aspects not covered or left without a credible explanation. For example, it seems implausible that, upon learning their computers were (slowly) failing, the colony has not strategized what knowledge to save. It also seems implausible that having a defense plan was not part of the priorities; yet, the humans are constantly happy to contemplate a wall that can be escalated by eagles, a bridge without retraction, a prison camp in the nearby meadow. They also seem to never be on the brink of starvation, and even the worst of weather sees them escape almost unscathed. This is no Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy or Andy Weir's The Martian.

+/-- Socio-political structure: The proposed socio-political structure begins as a typical commune--all should collaborate, all should benefit--, with no political stratification and joint decision-making. The beginning of the book does not invite further scrutiny of this structure, but it turns out later that political stratification actually exists (for example, the role of moderator, albeit elected, is both offering power above-all and, as many actions including Lucille's demonstrate, lacks much oversight). The moderator seems to be often elected based on nepotism or the situation of the day (on the day of the election), except perhaps the long-serving plant. (Lucille even admits "winning the co-moderator’s election had shocked me because I had run only because I teach—taught—preschool and I wanted to show them how elections work."-Burke, Sue. Semiosis: A Novel (p. 227). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition. She dies soon, having contributed to losing over 10% of the colony's population.) The laws are unevenly formulated; the discussion about moderator resignation and removal, in the chapter about Batholomew, has detail and required number of votes, whereas the all-important law on citizenship, in the chapter about Tatiana, is vague and lacks process. In this political system, it is possible for someone without competence or even desire to lead to accede to supreme power (are the 2016 US elections an inspiration?). The notion of citizenship is more than problematic in other ways as well, for example, it remains unclear who should judge declarations of citizenship, based on whose values and norms, and when are decisions binding. It remains unclear if children vote or not, and what constitutes a legal age for joining the discussion. Socially, the people are over-concerned with their looks (e.g., Greens and Beadies), and even Lucille names the cooperating Glassmakers based on how they look.

--- Another attempt to political correctness without nuance: Many have tried to build an utopian society in the middle of nature. Ernest Callenbach's Ecotopia springs to mind. Semiosis, unfortunately, really disappoints in this respect. The human society is presented as pure in thought and spirit, which sounds nice, but is not supported by an explanation as to why human nature has been abolished; effectively, this seems a form of Stalinist Lysenkoism, assuming that simply by transplanting the human colony in a new environment, the individuals will stop being shaped by their ancient predispositions (e.g., common human traits such as desire to belong, desire to help, complemented by less desirable irrational behavior, jealousy, fear of strange and foreign, etc.) But, even in the current positive description, the society seems less than fully altruistic and egalitarian. The society is segregated by age ("That was normal, the split between Greens and Beadies"-Burke, Sue. Semiosis: A Novel (p. 314). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition.); making children and even having mere sex, which are open activities inside the same-generation participants, are considered taboo across generations. (To put things in perspective, Lucille explicitly considers inter-generation sex as a worse offense than having sex under-age -- "As soon as I’d hit puberty—properly chaste, I might add, since no one else was of my age", Burke, Sue. Semiosis: A Novel (p. 228). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition.) There are societal roles, and hunters and farmers have little to say about leadership. Instead, leadership and societal roles are passed on through nepotism (except for Lucille and Staveland the plant). etc.

--- The story shows the pacifist group finds it reasonable to deprive others of dignity and freedom:The society agrees to torture the sentient trees around (e.g., the orchard), agree to use peer pressure to convince entire populations of plants to do their bidding ("One by one the pineapples agree and pressure their neighbors to join the majority."-Burke, Sue. Semiosis: A Novel (p. 253). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition.), play Sesame Points to make sure the Glassmakers cooperate (but denies this is akin to incentivized slavery), force the females of the Glassmaker tribe to visit the city ("We started taking females on tours of the city. Well, actually, we had to plead with them and half drag them to get them to come."-Burke, Sue. Semiosis: A Novel (pp. 262-263). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition.), etc.

I liked this, but I prefer character-driven books. This one had a time jump every chapter with new people in the POV and I found it difficult to care about anyone. The only constant is the sentient bamboo plant. Still, it was an interesting book, I just wouldn't rave about it to other people.

Semiosis follows the first hundred years or so of human settlement on the planet Pax, moving between the generations of colonists. My favourite sections were the descriptions of the planet's animal and plants, both of which have certain characteristics that are reminiscent of animals and plants on Earth but, in other and more fundamental ways, are entirely different. How much more challenging it is for human society to evolve in its new home when the plantlife takes such an interest.

Other books in the series

“You must control bugs,” I say. “Bugs no eat fruit,” it answers. In other words, how can you control an animal except with fruit? “Change sap for bugs. Like this.” I show a chemical. “Sap will control animals.” “Bugs no eat fruit.” “Bugs drink sap.” “Yes,” it says. “Bugs no eat fruit.” “Change sap for bugs because bugs drink sap, no eat fruit.” “Bugs no eat fruit.” I realize that we are related plants, both bamboos, in fact, and our shared physiology is the only reason I can have a conversation of any complexity. The hedge along the river is too small to have many sentient roots. The presence of other snow vines triggers an aggressive growth, but this hedge has lived alone and is content to lead a manicured little life parasitizing its aspens and putting down more guard roots than it needs, thus serving the humans without realizing it. It has no need for intelligence, none at all. “Change sap for bugs,” I repeat, hoping that repetition will of itself prove persuasive. “Big animals eat bugs.” “Bugs no eat fruit.” “Big animals eat bugs.” “Big animals eat bugs,” the snow vine repeats. I have made progress. “Yes,” I say. “Change sap for bugs.” “Big animals eat bugs.” “Yes. Change sap for bugs. Like this.” “Bugs eat sap,” it says. “Bugs are pests.” “Bugs are good. Big animals eat bugs like fruit.” The snow vine stammers some meaningless chemical compounds and finally says, “Bugs are like fruit.” This is very significant progress. “Bugs are like fruit,” I agree. “Bugs eat sap. Change sap. Sap will control two animals.” “Sap will control bugs. Big animals eat bugs.” “Yes. You must change sap for bugs and animals.” “I will change sap for bugs and animals.” At last! “Yes. Change sap like this.” I deliver some prototype chemicals.”
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“Each of us needs to be what we are, perhaps even be more of what we are.”
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